Once is Always
by MechaSonic2
Summary: Metal Sonic is replaced by a new robot and takes up residence with the Knothole Freedom Fighters... untill something happens...


Legal crap and author's note:  
  
Sonic, Silver Sonic, Metal Sonic, Eggman, ect. are (c) of Sonic Team. Sally and whomever else I decide to stuff in this lame story are property of DiC animation and Archie Comics.  
  
Author's note: I have a very strange, mixed, idea of the Sonic verce. Flame me and I'll stuff a rabid eskimo down your damn throat. A sort of mix between the old Saturday morning cartoon, the old skool SegaSonic (IE, the sureal [yeah, I know I can't spell] world and the charactors. [Sonic and Amy forever!]) I also take from the new Sonic (Sonic Adventure, you know.) For some places. Like Station Square (In South-West Mobius in my strange mind.) and Mystic Ruins (For Tails' workshop.) For a bit of a setting idea, I'll lay it out for you.  
  
Sonic and Amy live in Station Square. Tails lives in Mystic Ruins. Eggman and his robots live in Robotropolis, Eggman Land, whatever. And the Freedom Fighters live in the Great Forest, Knothole Villiage. Sonic and Tails will visit them every now and then, since Robotropolis lies right near the Great Forest and, hey, Sonic IS trying to rid the earth of Eggman, right? =P  
  
If I haven't already confused/bored you into oblivion, here's the story:  
  
---  
  
They met with a clash. A silver, spinning ball of metal against another spinning ball of spines, sharp blue in color. The blue one, a hedgehog, Sonic to be exact, ricoched back and hit the metal wall of the small arena on the Death Egg and slumped against it, blood caked all over his fur and spines. He looked up, green eyes clouded with hatred as the silver robot replica of himself descended to the floor, its menicing, solid, red eyes glaring at Sonic. Then Sonic launched himself at Silver Sonic, angry at Eggman for hurting his friends. Angry at himself for not stopping the mad doctor sooner. Angry at Eggman again for making this robot replica of him. Yes, Sonic was quite enraged. He launched himself at Silver with the incredible speed he was known and named for, and hit it in the head in a leathal ball of spines, sending the robot skidding on his back. Sonic was immediatly on it, punching his face repeatedly, not caring about the glass from Silver's eyes that were ripping his gloves and hands up. There was very few things Sonic actually hated, Eggman being one of them, and this robot had easily made his hit list.  
  
Then the video went static. Metal Sonic, Silver Sonic's succeser lay slumped against a tree in the midst of the woods beyond the clearing before Robotropolis or as some call it "Eggman Land," whichever you prefer. One of his eyes was cracked and the red pupil was flickering. He coulden't move and so was staring blankly at the forest floor, reliving video after video of encounters with Sonic. Some memeries even from Silver Sonic, who was a scrapped failure. Each and every video seemed to end in static and fuzz. He was always defeated by Sonic. Ever since he could remember. He loathed Sonic with every microchip he posessed and could somehow find a way to blame every bad thing that every happened to him on the hedgehog. He could not even say Sonic's name in relation to him; he would just call him "Hedgehog," or "You!" Now he hated him even more. For Doctor Robotnik (or Eggman, if you will.) had ejected Metal Sonic from Robotropolis after building a replacement, Metal Sonic MKII, thinking that MKII (I'm calling him "MKII" and the original "Metal." You can't stop me.) would be a much more worthy oponent for Sonic; his thaughts proven when he pitted the two robots against each other.  
  
And so, Metal was ran out of Robotropolis, damaged and infuriated. How -dare- that fat tub of lard replace him!? And to make things worse, he was then attacked by Sonic and Tails, who were visiting Knothole from Station Square. The brawl was short, as Sonic homing-spinned the already damaged Metal Sonic hard against a tree, knocking Metal's mobilitty off line and dashing off with Tails; probably to get reinforcements. Presantly, Metal layed there, slumped against the tree, waiting for his auto repair to re- stablize and fix the problem. Hopefuly before Sonic came back. Hopefuly, but that would be too easy woulden't it? Metal heard aproching foot steps and internaly cursed the program for not working faster. Thinking quick, he shut all programs except the auto-repare and his "mental computer," (Sight, hearing. You get the point.) figuring that when his mobilitty was re-gained, he'd jump 'em and rip their lungs out. Maybe nail them to a tree if they -really- ticked him off.  
  
Sonic, Tails, Sally and Roter parted from the path they were on, it was well worn from various trips to Robotropolis, and started toward the lone robot who was, seemingly, offline.  
  
Roter and Tails aproched Metal Sonic. Rotor prodded him with a stick.  
  
"Looks pretty dead to me."  
  
"And his engine isn't wirring," added Tails.  
  
Sonic crossed his arms. That robot coulden't be trusted...  
  
Two late, Tails and Rotor were already at the robot, prodding and examining him. As they were, a pink hedgehog came jogging down the path toward them. She had soft pink spines that hung down at her shoulders; she wore a red dress with white lining and boots to match. "Amy!" that girl made Sonic somewhat nervous and he coulden't pinpoint why.  
  
"What's going on? You guys left in such a hurry-- Ee!" She blanched and backed up, "Is that Metal Sonic?!" "Yeah, and I don't know what he's doing here," said Sonic, "It's not safe, go back to Knothole." "He looks hurt..." she said, ignoring Sonic, shoving past him and kneeling beside his robotic counterpart.  
  
Sonic stared after Amy. What did she just do?! "Hurt?!" he half shreeked, half questioned at his self-proclaimed girlfriend... self proclaimed on Amy's behalf anyway. He looked pleadingly in Sally's direction, who in return shrugged helplessly.  
  
Rotor was about to say something to the pink hedgehog, but she quickly cut him off before he said a word. "Love your enemy, Sonikku." she said, turning back to the robot slumped infront of her, "We should repair him." "Whoa! Wait a sec', Amy. We're talking about -METAL SONIC- here, y'know. The same nasty robot who kidnapped you!" he paused for emphasis, "Back on Little Planet..." That was one adventure he woulden't be forgetting any time soon.  
  
The hedgehog's train of thaught was interupted by a computerized, chirping beep. Metal Sonic. His eyes came on and he trained his head up-- the beep could have been taken as a robotic equivilant of a tired groan. Metal's eyes locked onto Sonic's, all signs of bewilderment and calm vanished; Amy and the other Freedom Fighters gasped and jumped back. "Sssssonic!" the navy blue robot hissed. He pounced violently, fingers as claws, at his nemesis who hardly managed to dodge.  
  
"Oh my gosh..." Sally breathed, hand over her mouth. She had heard stories of how vicious Metal was around Sonic but-- Tails tapped on her shoulder. "Let me borrow Nicole," he said, a serious expression on his face. Sally opened her mouth, about to protest, but Tails explained quickly, "He's built using Sonic's DATA, that's how his mind is so efficient and how he can learn... Because he has Sonic's mind in a way... I can try to assimilate Sonic's personality into Metal, maybe even shut him down." Hey, he'd done it before. Sally nodded and unclipped the small hand-held super-computer she had clipped onto her boot and handed it to Tails, he was a smart kid.  
  
Meanwhile, Sonic was doing his best to avoid his psycho killer counterpart in the small forest clearing while at the same time trying to keep his friends out of the crossfire. Not to mention, he was desperately looking for an oppertunity to get a hit of his own in... Sonic jumped at a tree while avoiding Metal and hit it with his feet. Metal overshot past the tree but quickly turned and corrected himself-- only to be smacked in the side of his head by a spinning ball of spines that was Sonic.  
  
Metal caught himself on his hands as he skidded backwards and quickly bounced back to his feet as Sonic came out of his spin and landed on his. The two hedgehogs glared at each other, green on red. In the few seconds of rest, Metal Sonic considered charging himself with eletricity and eletricuting Sonic to death right then and there, but realized he was in no condition to do that. No matter, he would settle for ripping him to shreds by hand. He jumped at Sonic, clawed fingers at ready.  
  
Sonic, who was of course expecting this, turned and fled. However, as he did a sharp pain shot up his left leg and he fell on his face. Metal released his nemesis' ankle and went for the bigger prize. He started punching Sonic's face relentlessly, pinning him down with his three free limbs. Metal coulden't have possibly felt better.  
  
"I got it!" announced Tails. He pressed a button on the hand-held computer and it let out a satisfactory 'beep'.  
  
Instant results; Metal Sonic froze in mid strike and flung his head back, clutching it with a robotic scream.  
  
Sonic pricked his ears back against the sound and winced. The robot seemed, to all apearence, in pain, if that were at all possible. "Sonic! Now!" Tails exclaimed. Sonic blinked, allowing his sences to return to him, then nodded, "Right." The blue hedgehog went into a spindash and slammed into the robot above him, who flew backwards and tumbled until he came to a stop. He didn't seem to care though, his battle for the moment was with Nicole. He was losing. Sonic scored the killing shot by landing a homing-spin on Metal's head. That was it, Metal lay lifeless on the ground, offline for real this time.  
  
Silence... then, "Whew! What a rush. Thanks Tails." "No prob! You too, Sonic," said Tails with a grin, happy to receive praise from Sonic. "Yes, good job, Tails," Sally smiled as the kitsune as he handed her Nicole, "But I wonder what Metal Sonic is doing out here... All alone and such..." "Prolly just for the sake of tryin'a kill me," muttered Sonic darkly, gently pressing a hand against the somewhat sore side of his face. "I doubt it..." Sally answered. Tails looked undecided, "I dunno; I woulden't put it past him."  
  
"We could ask him..." offered Amy, who was imediatly met with various stares, but continued anyway, "Take him back to Knothole and see what he's up to. Just restrain him so he doesn't hurt anybody." "Mm..." Sally mussed, pushing her forlock out of her eyes, and looked at Sonic, "Well?" "Pft! Do whatever you want with the dumb robot," said Sonic difiantly, "But I don't want -anything- to do with it."  
  
Sally nodded and said to Sonic, "Fine then," she turned to the rest of the group, "Who wants to help bring him back to Knothole?"  
  
---  
  
Metal Sonic came back online some time later; two hours and 26.5 seconds later to be exact. He tried to lift his head up to get a better look at the place he was in, aside from the dull ceiling, but found he was restrained, along with the rest of his limbs and torso. He settled for looking down his pointed nose at the slate-colored walrus seated at a desk in the far side of the room. He seemed to be reading something. "Where am I?" Metal half asked, half demanded. Rotor started a bit and turned around in his swivel chair, leaving his readings on the desk. "Ah, you're awake I see! You're in Knothole, my workshop. Or hut, rather," he chuckled.  
  
They took him into Knothole Village? Why? "Why did you bring me here?" demanded the hedgehog robot again, crimson eyes darkening a few shades. "We coulden't just let'cha stay in the Great Forest, ya might cause more trouble. Besides, Sally wanted to know what you were doing out there in the first place," he responded good naturedly, "But interogatin' you gets to be her job, not mine." Metal's eyes darkened some more as the walrus went on, "You're quite the impresive robot, you know. I printed out your schmatics and was reading them while you were out. Quite complicated."  
  
This annoyed Metal for some reason, but he didn't or cloulden't show it. "Why?" he asked simply. "We're gonna repair you." Rotor answered. At this, Metal's eyes brightened considerably, "Pardon?" "It was Amy's idea."  
  
Amy's idea? That brat he had kidnapped on Little Planet? -SHE- of all people wanted to see him repaired? Strange...  
  
Presently, Tails stroled in, "Hey Rotor, how's it goin'?" Rotor and Metal turned to see him, well, Metal as much as he could. "Good, our metal terrorist is back online." "I see..." Tails looked warily at Metal Sonic, who at the moment wanted to give the two mortal injuries. "Should I go get Sally?" "Yeah, sure."  
  
So Tails winded his tails and flew off while Rotor sat back down to his reading like the robot wasn't even there.  
  
Metal glanced around as much as he could, becoming highly impatient and ready to kill something, but he waited all the same untill Sally came; he didn't really have much of a choice. Finally, she did come. The ground squirel, holding a clip board with a pen behind her ear, greeted Rotor then took a seat on a stool near the table Metal was strapped to. She waisted no time, "What were you doing marching through the Great Forest all alone?" "None of your business," snapped Metal in synthetic monotone, not wanting to admit that he'd been replaced and not wanting to tell anything to his enemies anyway. Sally closed her eyes for a moment and took the pen from behind her ear, "Look, if you don't cooperate, we won't repair you. Infact, we'll dismantle you. Which in return will make our war against -your- master alot easier."  
  
Metal Sonic stared at Sally for a while, a certain rage playing in his artificial soul. "Dr. Eggman is not of my concern any longer; he has a new robot," he paused, letting this sink in, "Do what you want with me, I do not care." Sally's expression softened a bit, "He replaced you?"  
  
No responce.  
  
"So... That explains why you were alone. And why were you here in the first place?" she asked, scribling something down on her clip board. "Guess." Sally blinked and looked up from her clip board. "Okay," she paused a moment, "You were after Sonic." Metal might have smirked if he could have. "Good guess," he purred. Sally felt a chill slither down her spine. "However," the robot continued, sounding a bit more downcast this time, "After that, I have nothing more to do. I feel my exsistance is rather empty."  
  
"Mm..." Sally hummed, a thoughtful look on her face, "I understand," she smiled slightly, "I don't think we could let you go back to Robotropolis anyway, you might give away the location of Knothole." "You do not understand. I cannot go back to Eggman, I am treated as a common criminal in his city," Metal explained. Sally paused and looked at the blue robot infront of her. "Even still, you could be lieing," she observed.  
  
This was true, Metal Sonic did have the profound abillity to lie through his teeth, figuratively speaking, even if he wasn't this time. So what could he say?  
  
An uncomfortable pause followed this and Metal broke the silence. "If I promise not to hurt anyone and not to escape, will you see to it that I am repaired?" he searched. Sally smiled "Sure. But you -must- promise." Metal nodded, "I do. You have my word." "Good," she said, satisfied, "Then I'll leave you to Rotor. And if you go back on your word... You will be dismantelled." "I realize that." Sally nodded then waved to Rotor, "Good luck."  
  
---  
  
Metal Sonic came back online again some time late in the next afternoon. He didn't quite understandthis kindness stuff, but if it got him repaired and a place to stay, then he would put up with it for the time being.  
  
Rotor, who was standing beside the table, grinned, "So, how's that?" Metal sat up and looked himself over, glad to be free from from binding now. His hull, he noticed, was dull and needed a new coat of paint, but that wassn't what was important at the moment; what was is that he no longer had any dents of gnashes and that everything worked, he was pretty sure everything worked anyway; he was running a system check at the moment.  
  
Metal Sonic flexxed a hand, palm down and looked at it, "Good," he answered, system check complete, "I am fully opperational."  
  
Rotor nodded, looking pleased, and poked his head out the doorway. "You guys can come in now, I don't think he's gonna kill anybody," he called, then stepped back from the doorway to allow the few core Freedom Fighters to come in. They consisted of Sally, Bunny (a partialy robotised rabbit), a rather sour Sonic, and Tails, who was trying to talk his hero into believing Metal woulen't hurt anyone, even though he himself was rather afraid of the robot.  
  
Sally noticed Sonic's attitude and frowned, "Sonic, I want you to get used to him." Sonic didn't say a word. Metal glared at Sonic and stood up from the table, not really trying to look imposing, but rather did anyway in spite of himself, "I am little more than a prisoner here anyway, hedgehog," he spat, "If that is of any consolance to you." Sonic just narrowed his eyes, meeting his nemesis' glare for what seemed like ages; then turned and walked out of the hut, ears flattened back against his head. He met Amy out there, who wanted to know what was wrong. "I don't like that robot," he growled, "He's going to turn on us and escape. That's what he'll do. He doesn't take well to threats, you know." Amy sighed, "I understand, Sonikku, why you're upset... But just give him a chance, okay? If anything happens it's not like the world's fastest hedgehog coulden't stop it." She smiled and gave Sonic a nice hug, not choking him to death as she normaly did. Sonic smiled as she let go, "Yeah, you're right," he turned and started walking towards the many paths leading out of Knothole, "I'm going for a run. Thanks Amy!" he called over his shoulder. And with that, he was gone. ---  
  
The next day, about 9 in the morning, Amy stroled into Rotor's work shop. She was rather surprised to find Metal Sonic there, standing infront of a dusty mirror with a paint brush smothered in medium blue paint in one hand. He was aplying the paint to himself and didn't seem to take any notice of Amy when she stepped in.  
  
... --- 


End file.
